On Capitol Hill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has unveiled a healthcare reform bill that includes a government-funded public insurance option and a new tax on wealthy Americans to help fund it. But the measure has been criticized for excluding provisions that would tie the public option’s rates to those paid by Medicare. Pelosi announced the measure on the Capitol steps.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi: “For nearly a century — it’s really over a century — leaders of all political parties, starting over a century ago with President Theodore Roosevelt, have called and fought for healthcare and health insurance reform. Today we are about to deliver on the promise of making affordable, quality healthcare available for all Americans, laying the foundation for a brighter future for generations to come.”

In a statement, Congress member Raul Grijalva of Arizona, the co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, expressed “deep disappointment” with the measure, which he said offers a weak version of the public option.